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Heading into 2016, recruiting teams are facing some tough employment trends. With the economy growing, competition for the most desirable candidates is heating up. And Millennials, who are more discriminating about the roles they’ll accept, are increasingly becoming a larger share of the workforce.

For recruiters, this is a perfect storm. To win over the ideal candidate, they need to move quickly to build rapport and trust. Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) provide them with details about candidates, but is that enough to make a difference? It depends. When the ATS is integrated with your phone system, it may make all the difference.

Recruiters typically call dozens of candidates each day and many of these calls end up in voicemail. Without ATS integrated into the phone system, there’s a risk that they’ll lose track of where each applicant stands in the process. When candidates call back and another recruiter picks up the phone, both parties may feel as if they have to begin all over again, with the recruiter scrambling to match the candidate to the right opportunity and find relevant information, such as the candidate’s resume.

But when the ATS is integrated with your phone system, the experience improves significantly for both recruiter and candidate. When the candidate returns the call, her name appears on the recruiter’s phone screen along with all of her data, including the potential position, her resume and answers to any questions she may have already answered.

Not only can the recruiter then pick up seamlessly from where his colleague left off, but he can also develop an instant connection to the candidate. This kind of personalized experience elevates the recruiting effort, making job seekers feel more comfortable and open to new opportunities.

One recruiting firm that’s integrated its ATS with a ShoreTel phone system is Abacus Services Corporation. When applicants call, recruiters see a pop-up window with the caller’s identity, notes about why he or she was contacted, the associated job opportunity and even their resume – all before they pick up the phone.

“All of the information is at our fingertips,” says Royice Franklin, recruiting director for Abacus. “We can immediately build rapport with the candidate and get right to the dialogue. We keep on top of our game, the candidate feels important, and we can fulfill more job openings.”

A more efficient workflow means that recruiters can move candidates more quickly through the hiring process. Response times are shortened, recruiters are more productive, and candidate satisfaction increases.

Integrating your ATS with your phone system has an additional killer benefit, as well: It adds significant value to your HR analytics. The combination of call data, workforce analytics and other relevant metrics can lead to improvements in talent acquisition strategies and recruiting efforts.

With recruiting difficulty rising steadily over the last 17 months, integrating your ATS can be a smart move – and can make the difference between keeping or losing a desirable candidate.